Taliban Minister Boosts Security At Sapedar Palace Amid Rising Internal Tensions

During the Eid al-Fitr holidays, Abdul Kabir, the Taliban’s Minister of Refugees, conducted meetings with Taliban officials and local elders under tight security at his office in Sapedar Palace.

Images released by the Taliban show his guards—armed with American-made weapons—remaining in close proximity, fingers on triggers throughout the meetings.

Even during Eid prayers at Sapedar Palace, which were attended by foreign diplomats, Kabir’s personal guards did not leave his side. On the first day of Eid, Abdul Haq Wasiq, the Taliban’s intelligence chief, visited Kabir. Photos of the meeting show Kabir’s guards positioned directly behind Wasiq, remaining in the room throughout the encounter.

On the second day of Eid, several Shia clerics visited the minister. The Ministry of Refugees published photos showing a heavily armed security presence around Kabir during the meeting, reinforcing his heightened security measures.

This increased security follows the assassination of Kabir’s predecessor, Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, who was killed in a suicide attack at the ministry’s headquarters last year. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. Haqqani, a senior figure in the Taliban, was known for carrying a weapon at all times.

Following Haqqani’s death, Abdul Kabir was removed from his former role as Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs and reassigned as acting Minister of Refugees. Since then, Kabir has refused to relocate to the ministry’s official headquarters, choosing instead to continue operating from the fortified Sapedar Palace.

Security analysts believe the assassination of Haqqani may have been facilitated from within Taliban ranks, pointing to increasing distrust and internal rivalries. Kabir’s visible reliance on armed protection, even within the heavily guarded Presidential Palace compound, signals rising fear and paranoia among senior Taliban officials.